Field of Invention
This invention relates to measuring a person's food consumption with a wearable spectroscopic sensor based on analysis of light reflected from or having passed through body tissue.
Introduction
The United States population has some of the highest prevalence rates of obese and overweight people in the world. Further, these rates have increased dramatically during recent decades. In the late 1990's, around one in five Americans was obese. Today, that figure has increased to around one in three. It is estimated that around one in five American children is now obese. The prevalence of Americans who are generally overweight is estimated to be as high as two out of three. Despite the considerable effort that has been focused on developing new approaches for preventing and treating obesity, the problem is growing. There remains a serious unmet need for new ways to help people to moderate their consumption of unhealthy food, better manage their energy balance, and lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner.
Since many factors contribute to obesity, good approaches to weight management are comprehensive in nature. Proper nutrition and management of caloric intake are key parts of a comprehensive approach to weight management. Consumption of “junk food” that is high in simple sugars and saturated fats has increased dramatically during the past couple decades, particularly in the United States. This has contributed significantly to the obesity epidemic. For many people, relying on willpower and dieting is not sufficient to moderate their consumption of unhealthy “junk food.” The results are dire consequences for their health and well-being. The invention that is disclosed herein directly addresses this problem by helping a person to monitor and measure their nutritional intake. The invention that is disclosed herein is an innovative technology that can be a key part of a comprehensive system to help a person reduce their consumption of unhealthy types and/or quantities of food.